TRABUCO CANYON, Calif. — Four people were killed, including the suspected gunman, and six people were hospitalized after a mass shooting at a famed biker bar in California on Wednesday, authorities said.
The shooting occurred at Cook’s Corner in Trabuco Canyon, KCAL-TV reported. It happened around 7:30 p.m. PDT, according to authorities. It was Spaghetti Night at the bar, according to The Orange County Register.
Update 6:41 p.m. EDT Aug. 25: The Orange County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims of the shooting as Tonya Clark, 49; John Leehey, 67; and Glen Srowl Jr., 53.
We stand in mourning alongside the family and friends of Tonya, John and Glen. They were tragically killed Wednesday in a shooting at Cook's Corner in Trabuco Canyon.
— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSheriff) August 25, 2023
Please join us in wishing all who knew and loved them comfort during this extremely difficult time. pic.twitter.com/h7Laaczaqq
- Jessica Goodman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Update 6:36 p.m. EDT Aug. 24: John Snowling, 59, was a retired Ventura police sergeant who came from Ohio and had targeted his estranged wife during a shooting Wednesday evening, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said, according to KTLA.
His wife was injured in the shooting. Barnes said that Snowling continued to shoot people at random inside and outside the bar. According to the news outlet, he was shot and killed by deputies.
Barnes said that two men and a woman died at the scene. One of the men was identified as John Lahey, 67, KTLA reported.
- Jessica Goodman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Authorities identify gunman
Update 2:51 p.m. EDT Aug. 24: The Orange County Sheriff’s Office identified the gunman as John Snowling, 59.
The sheriff’s office also said that Snowling’s wife was injured in the shooting but she was not dead.
A news conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. PDT where additional information is expected to be provided.
#OCSDPIO The suspect of the Trabuco Canyon shooting is confirmed as John Snowling, 59. Despite misinformation, his wife was injured in the shooting and is not deceased. We will provide additional information at the press briefing this afternoon.
— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSheriff) August 24, 2023
- Jessica Goodman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Sheriff’s office: 4 killed, 6 hospitalized
Update 12:14 a.m. EDT Aug. 24: Four people were killed, including the shooter, and six people were hospitalized in the shooting at Cook’s Corner, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the sheriff’s office, five of the six people hospitalized were suffering from gunshot wounds.
Officials said deputies fired on the suspect, who was struck and killed, according to the Los Angeles Times. None of the deputies involved were injured, KABC-TV reported.
The Times, citing unnamed sources, said the gunman, a retired member of the Ventura Police Department, was targeting his estranged wife.
“I’m heartbroken by the news of yet another mass shooting tonight, this time at Cook’s Corner, a historic bar in the heart of Orange County,” Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, said in a statement. “My heart breaks for the families and loved ones of the victims.”
#OCSDPIO Update- Incident scene at Cooks Corner is static. We are in unified command with @OCFA. Confirmed 4 deceased at scene, inc. the shooter. 6 transported to hospitals, 5 reported w/gunshot wounds. Officer-involved shooting occurred during the incident. No deputies injured.
— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSheriff) August 24, 2023
Cook’s Corner is a longtime biker bar and grill at the junction of El Toro, Santiago Canyon and Live Oak Canyon roads, near O’Neill Regional Park, according to the Times.
Cook’s Corner is named for Andrew Jackson Cook, who traded for 190 acres of land in the area in 1884, according to the newspaper. His son, Earl Jack Cook, known as “E.J.”, opened a roadside hamburger restaurant in 1931.
Alcohol was added to the menu after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the Times reported. In 1946, E.J. Cook bought an old mess hall from an Army base in Santa Ana and placed it at the junction.
The Cook family sold the bar during the 1970s, according to KABC.
Original report: Orange County Sheriff’s Capt. Aaron Brady confirmed that there was a mass shooting at the bar, the newspaper reported.
As many as 10 shot at famed Cook’s Corner biker bar in Orange County @Jeremy_Childs @Hannahnfry @ChristianM_CA https://t.co/RAmnjQLPvc
— Richard Winton (@LAcrimes) August 24, 2023
It was unclear how many people had been shot. The Los Angeles Times reported that 10 people were shot and the gunman was dead, adding that there were up to five fatalities. KABC-TV reported that “nine or more” people were shot, while the Register reported that at least five people could have been killed. According to KCAL, five people were killed and six more were hospitalized.
Law enforcement officials have yet to provide an exact number.
Several news outlets, citing unnamed sources, said the gunman was a retired law enforcement officer who might have been targeting someone he knew.
Authorities have not released any details about the gunman or what led to the shooting, KTLA-TV reported.
